Uptown Boy
by sango696
Summary: Kurt just left his home - New York City. He has no idea how he will ever by able to settle into Lima, Ohio, but he could do it for his father and maybe with the help of some new friends, it could turn out to be a lot better then he hoped.
1. Prologue

Uptown Boy

Kurt glanced back at the image of his home fading behind him. The city he loved so dearly. His life was there, his friends were there, he belonged there.

Kurt Hummel was leaving New York City.

His father, Burt, was offered a place to set up his auto repair shop and you can't say no when someone offers to build you a shop. So the two of them, along with his stepmother, Carole and his step brother, Finn, they packed up their belongings and left for Lima, Ohio.

The idea haunted Kurt as he watched the city disappear. It was as if his whole life was taken away from him. He lived for New York. He knew where all the best restaurant are – famous and those in the back alleys. He knew exactly where to go for the best deals on any type of clothing or accessory – real or faux. He knew where all the best hangouts were – even if you weren't in his crowd.

New York was perfect for him. It accepted who he was. It held its arms open for anyone who needed a little hug. Kurt needed that hug.

When his father first told him about Ohio, he was against it. He saw the hurt in his father's eyes. He knew his father would never do anything someone in the family didn't want. They got by. They could live without Finn and Kurt getting their own rooms, a honeymoon for Carole and Burt that they never got, or even a car that was brand new (no matter how good Burt was at fixing cars, some can't be fixed).

It took a whole lot of convincing – Carole and Finn both – to get Kurt to realize what this meant for his father; a new start. Kurt loved his father and seeing his father happy was all he ever wanted, even if he is left without anything. He would do it for Burt. He would do anything for him.

"This will be great! We found the perfect house! Each of you gets your own room, Carole gets her perfect kitchen with an island and I get a huge garage, not to mention the garage, Mayor Motto built for me," Burt said ecstatically. "Not to mention, McKinley High is where you both will be going. They have a winning football team, Finn! You could become their quarterback if you try hard."

Finn grinned up at Burt, "Hell yeah! You know I'll be all over that."

Kurt glanced at Finn and though he loved his step brother, sometimes he wondered how they got along. They were completely different. Finn was a hot shot football player and Kurt was a homosexual dreamer. He dreamed of Broadway while Finn dreamed of the NFL – which Finn and Burt have explained is the National Football League (Kurt didn't like sports).

"It sounds great… dad," Kurt replied, though it didn't sound great at all. He didn't say anything that interested Kurt, but he would find a way to find the good in this. He had to.

"They have a Glee club, Kurt. Maybe that would be interesting. It's new for this school year. You should try out," Carole offered and Kurt smiled a bit. Carole knew exactly what to say.

He nodded his head, "I'll check it out," he would, but he wasn't sure if it would work, but he would try.

As the sign came up, a sickening feeling hit Kurt's stomach - he was really leaving. It was all over. Any moment now, his life in New York would be gone. In a few moments, he would no longer be Kurt Hummel of New York City; he would be Kurt Hummel of Lima, Ohio.

He didn't like the sound of that.

_Now leaving New York City._


	2. Chapter One

Kurt stared up at the house. It was… quaint. It was home-y even. It was the perfect home. Beautiful yard with a white picket fence, gorgeous brilliant even compared to the other homes, a flower garden left from the previous owners. It was the perfect home, but it will never be home for him.

"It looks even better. The pictures don't do it justice,' Burt sighed happily as he pulled Carole into his arms. How could Kurt even thing about ruining this moment for them.

"It really is amazing," Kurt agreed and Burt smiled at him. He was really happy and that made Kurt happy even if he was still miserable because of the move. He watched as Burt pulled Carole inside. It was adorable. They were like little kids. Finn patted his back before going to grab boxes from the back of the car before heading inside.

Kurt glanced back at the suburban town and grimaced. It was quiet… too quiet. He couldn't stand it. Where were the honking cars? Where were the pissed off pedestrians? Where was the Gucci store? This was all too much. He couldn't stand it. It was too… too boring! He needed adventure. He needed suspense. He needed to almost get run over by a cab (in New York, it was a daily occurrence and he actually missed it). He had no idea how he was going to get used to Lima, Ohio – or even if he ever was.

"Hey!"

He looked around for the voice, but no one was there. He was going to head inside when he felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned quickly, expecting Finn, but instead he saw a black girl, short, but a pretty face. She grinned at him, "Hey, I'm Mercedes Jones. Welcome to Lima."

Kurt smiled slightly, but it didn't last long. He wasn't exactly happy to be there, "Thanks. I'm Kurt Hummel."

"So Kurt, where are you from?" Mercedes asked as he followed Kurt to car. He didn't know why she was so willing to help him, "New York City."

"New York City!"

Kurt turned quickly to see a short girl with long brown hair run at him and grabbing his hand, shaking it furiously, "Hello. I am Rachel Berry. So you're from New York City? It's my dream to sing on Broadway! Have you been to Broadway! Of course, you have! If you live in New York City, why would you go see Broadway? What is it like? Tell me everything!"

"Rachel! Breathe," Mercedes laughed nervously as she pulled the girl away, "So tell us, Kurt. Why did you leave New York for Lima?"

"The mayor offered to build my dad his own auto repair shop," Kurt replied as he picked up his box of shoes – there were still three more waiting to be taken inside.

Rachel smiled, "Oh, I heard about that. Thank god. To get a car fixed, you'd have to go to Cleveland."

Kurt raised an eyebrow. Cleveland was far from what he heard. He shrugged his shoulders and smiled at the two girls, "Thanks for introducing yourselves. I wasn't sure how it would feel being here."

Mercedes smiled and rested a hand on Kurt's shoulder, "If you need anything, I live down the block. Rachel lives in the next neighborhood. You'll be going to McKinley, right?"

The boy nodded his head Rachel squealed, "Yay, be sure to wait for us here, alright? We'll go to school together!"

"O-oh, sure," Kurt replied, smiling at the two. They said their goodbyes before leaving. Kurt watched them go and turned to see Finn leaning against the column holding the house up, "What?"

"That girl-"

"Rachel? She's like a Chihuahua," Kurt stated, looking back in the direction the two girls went in. He sighed before pushing his box into Finn's arms, "I'm tired. Take this in for me."

Finn raised an eyebrow, "This is your first box."

"And my last," Kurt replied, patting Finn's stomach before heading into the house.

Kurt wasn't exactly sure why he waited for the girls. Maybe because he didn't want to be alone on his first day of school? Maybe because he already had 'friends'? Back in New York, he had many friends and he was popular. He wondered how life would be in McKinley. It couldn't be that bad.

But he was surely mistaken.

When the three arrived, they were greeted with a red and blue slushie facial. Kurt later learned that was the mark of loserville and he was now an occupant.

"I'm so sorry, Kurt. You're outfit-" Rachel reached out to hand him a towel and he took it with a small smile, "It's fine… It's not like it was Alexander McQueen or anything." Actually it was and he was devastated. He had no idea how to get out slushie. He never needed to know.

Mercedes groaned and threw her towel into the bin. They were hiding out in the girl's locker room getting cleaned off. They invited Kurt in just in case the jocks came back for round two, "I'm so sick of this."

Rachel sighed and leaned against the wall as she looked at Kurt, "We've dealt with this for the last two years. Kurt… McKinley is going to a lot harder on you then it will ever be for us."

Kurt glanced at the girl. His stomach turned at the words. _Please don't say what I think you're going to say_, he thought sadly, "What do you mean?"

Mercedes glanced at Rachel before looking at Kurt, "Ohio… is completely different from New York. You could be… _open_ there. Being open here… is very dangerous."

He looked down at the ground and sighed. He had to hide who he was. He was gay and he was proud of who he was. He was never treated like scum in New York. There was a weird person on every street corner – tattooed freaks, cosplay wearing weirdos and transgenders waving with a smile. He was free to be who he was without a slushie to the face.

"Kurt… we'll do what we can-" Kurt cut Rachel off again and smiled, shaking his head, "I'll be fine. I'm not going to change who I am for someone else's benefit. I'm stronger then all of them. Maybe not physically, but mentally. I'm Kurt Hummel and I'm not going to conform to Ohio terms."

Mercedes grinned and Rachel did as well. They both stepped forward and hugged Kurt, "We'll Kurt Hummel, we'll never judge you," Mercedes smiled and Rachel nodded.

Kurt smiled and intertwined his arms with Mercedes and Rachel's, "Let's go," he grinned before the three of them made their way out of the locker room.

It was finally lunch. His first lunch at McKinley. He had been slushied, threated on countless occasions, thrown against the lockers and asked to return back to 'fagville' three times. Lunch couldn't possibly suck.

He walked down the line, grimacing at everything he passed. Was there nothing for the vegetarians? He noticed Rachel was reaching for a salad and smiled. Finally, something for him. He didn't eat meat and he learned, neither did Rachel. Mercedes on the other hand, would never give up her burger for a salad. 'I'm a big girl and I'm proud of it, honey,' she said when Kurt commented on her meal choice.

He sat down across from the two girls and picked at his salad as he listened to them discuss the recent gossip. He heard a few things and when he asked, the two would fill him in. Apparently, Puckerman may have knocked up Quinn and Mr. Shue is going to propose to Ms. Pillsbury and possibly, just maybe, Santana is a lesbian. He had no idea who any of those people are, but he nodded and smiled, pretending like he actually knew, even if he didn't.

Kurt eventually gave up on the grass like salad and pushed it away. He glanced around the tables, noticing how divided everyone is. He found the cheerleaders all sitting together. Behind them say the football players and a few tables away were the hockey jocks. He found the jazz band and a few other cliques. He sighed. High school was all about cliques.

His eyes shifted to a table where only one person sat. It was a very attractive guy from what Kurt could tell and he had good taste. The guy had curly brown locks that were very close to turning into a full on afro. He bet it would be cute to see. He wore skinny jeans and a nice, crisp t-shirt with a hoodie and nice sneakers. Why was someone like him sitting alone?

"Hey, 'Cedes," Kurt called, glancing back the girl. Mercedes looked at Kurt and asked what he wanted, "Who's that guy over there?"

Mercedes glanced in the direction Kurt pointed out and smiled, "That's Blaine Anderson. He used to be a popular kid, but he got into a fight with Karofsky - The big guy in the middle of the football table. It was a full of fist fight. It was scary really. After that, all the popular kids pretty much exiled Blaine. They leave him alone, but you can still hear the comments Karofsky makes about him."

Kurt looked at Karofsky for a moment. He was one of the guys who called him names today and the one who threw him against the locker and told him to go home, "Homophobe?"

"That was what the fight was about actually," Rachel started, "Karofsky accused Blaine off checking him out and Karofsky flipped. Blaine got so pissed, he punched Karofsky. Blaine is a lot smaller, but he is a good fighter. He left the team much to Coach Bieste's dismay/"

He glanced back at Blaine's table, but noticed the boy was no longer there. He glanced around the room until he caught sight of someone staring at him. It was Karofsky. He looked away quickly and bit his lip. This was bad. He could hear the other getting up. He glanced at Mercedes and Rachel. They both saw Karofsky get up too.

"Hey, faggot!"

The whole cafeteria grew silent and Kurt told himself not to look up, but Karofsky wasn't going to ignored, "I'm talking to you!"

"Leave him alone, Karofsky."

Kurt finally looked up and saw Blaine standing behind, glaring at the jock. Karofsky grinned and raised his hands, "Oh, my bad. Protecting your boyfriend? How disgusting," he spat. Kurt cringed and made a move to get up, but Blaine kept him seated.

"Grow up. You're ignorance is what is disgusting. How about you do us all a favor and just give it up," Blaine retorted, rolling his eyes. His voice was calm, but anyone could tell he was angry.

The football player laughed and looked back at his table. Some of them laughed, but some didn't. Kurt noticed Finn was sitting there. He wasn't laughing and looked angry at what Karofsky was saying, but he wasn't doing anything to stop him.

Kurt pushed Blaine's hand off his shoulder and stood up, looking Karofsky in the eye, "I'm not scared of you and I'm going to change who I am for you. Leave me alone."

"… You'll regret that, lady," Karofsky dared before heading back to his table. His other jock friends and Finn got up and followed him. Finn glanced back and Kurt looked away. When they get home, he's definitely going to give Finn a piece of his mind.

"Kurt, are you sure about this?" Rachel asked.

He nodded his head and smiled, "I'm not scared… a little, but I'll be fine."

"I hope your right."

He looked over his shoulder to see Blaine looking at his. His voice was beautiful honestly. A soft tenor possibly? But what really captured Kurt's attention were his beautiful hazel eyes. They literally drew Kurt in.

Kurt nodded his head, "Thanks."

Blaine merely shrugged his shoulders before walking away. Kurt watched him for a moment before taking his seat again. He bit his lip and smiled, "I really hope he is gay."

Rachel and Mercedes shared a look before giggling endlessly, spouting how they hoped he was too because the two of them would be so cute. They began telling Kurt everything they knew about Blaine Anderson and he was willing to listen.

Kurt made his way home in one piece. Karofsky and his crew left him alone and though he knew he wasn't out of the water, a few hours of peace on his first day was nice. He had no idea how he was going to explain the blue and red dye on his clothes, but he'd think of something.

He pushed opened up the door and said he was home as he pulled off his jacket, staring at it sadly. Poor thing never stood a chance. He sighed and threw it in the laundry basket before making his way to the living room. He glared at the figure on the couch, "Finn."

"Before you say anything, I had no idea how much of dick Karofsky was going to be," Finn assured as he stood up, holding up his hands in defeat, "I swear to you, Kurt. I'm not like them."

"The thing is Finn, I've known you for years. I had a crush on, remember? You weren't exactly thrilled at first," Kurt retorted, crossing his arms.

Finn sighed and shook his head, "You promised you wouldn't talk about what I called you. I really didn't mean to do it."

Kurt nodded his head and looked up at Finn, "Why didn't you take my side?"

Finn sighed and shrugged his shoulders, "I don't know… they are going to make me quarterback. Well, I need to try out first, but they are pretty sure I'll make it."

The younger boy nodded his head and smiled sadly, "I'm happy for you, Finn. Really… just try not to slushie me, okay?"

"Kurt, I wouldn-"

"Save it," Kurt said, shrugging his shoulders. "I'm going to go to my room," he said, pushing past Finn and heading up to his room. He was happy that he made friends, but the fear of what he did at lunch was creeping up on him. If all he had was Blaine, Mercedes and Rachel standing up for him, he was in trouble. He had no idea what Karofsky was planning, but he was scared.


End file.
